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SLIDESHOW: 3rd ID soldiers train for Army physical demands study

Fort Stewart soldiers are currently undergoing five weeks of training for four jobs currently only open to male soldiers to prepare them to participate in a study that aims to help the Army understand the physical demands of those jobs.

Volunteers from the 3rd Infantry Division – 100 men and 60 women – are perfecting a series of tasks for those front line jobs – including infantryman, mortarman, tank crew member and cavalry scout – to help Army scientists design a way to measure the abilities of a soldier, regardless of gender, to perform those jobs, as the Army prepares to open thousands of direct combat positions to women by 2016.

I went out to observe some of that training on Tuesday: Here’s a slideshow of some of those participating. Pick up the Savannah Morning News or visit Savannahnow.com Friday for my full report on the training and the upcoming study.